BOULDER, Colo. - There is nowhere to go but up for the Colorado Buffaloes this Pac-12 football season.

The win over Washington State was the lone bright spot for the team in 2012.

The 1-and-11 season prompted the firing of John Embree, who was replaced by Mike MacIntyre.

Embree and his staff were known for an agressive coaching style. There is a different feel under MacIntyre, with plenty of teaching going on.

"One of the things we always talk about is it's not just playing, it's playing to win," he said. "There's a difference in just playing, and playing to win. It's how you prepare, it's how you practice, it's all the things you do."

McIntyre is in a tough spot, trying to turn around a program that has gone 3-and-15 in league play since joining the Pac-12 two years ago.

Not only did Colorado rank fourth from the bottom in scoring among FBS teams in 2012, the Buffs gave up more passing touchdowns than any defense in the FBS with 39.

"Guys have really been tracking the ball better in the air than last year, so that's going to help us right there," said Derrick Webb, a senior linebacker.

Fourth year junior quarterback Connor Wood was named a captain during the summer and is likely to be the guy at the head of the offensive turnaround.

"We can see how the tempo of our offense, how clean we are in our execution," he said. "Watching on film, you can see we've been working a lot this summer. I'm pleased with where we are."